


Ink Spots

by ChocolateCannibal



Series: The Lion and The Lynx [3]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Cullen's desk is basically its own character, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Humor, Jealousy, Kissing, Romance, pranks?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-15
Updated: 2016-05-15
Packaged: 2018-06-08 13:00:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,278
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6855736
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChocolateCannibal/pseuds/ChocolateCannibal
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Cullen is jealous of Sera and ruins some potentially important documents.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ink Spots

“Inquisitor,” he greeted her with scarcely a glance.

Trevelyan rolled her eyes and stifled a snort.

Cullen had seen her naked. He also had his tongue in her mouth and his cock in her cunt whist moaning shamelessly and clinging to her as if for dear life, on multiple occasions.

And on such occasions, the Commander demonstrated that he _did,_ in fact, know her name. It was all ‘Oh Lara,’ and ‘Yes Lara,’ and ‘Maker Lara, please’ until she got her pants back on. Then, back to Inquisitor.

She perched on the corner of his desk, shifting to adjust to the slight wobble, and waited for him to stop ignoring her.

Still not looking up, he drawled, “Is there anything I can help with, your worship?”

“You’re mad at me.”

“I’m sure I have no idea what you mean, Inquisitor.”

“Stop calling me that.”

“It is your title.”

“It is _not_ my name.”

“Apologies, Lady Trevelyan. As you can see, I’m quite busy at the moment and-“

“Cullen.”

The quill in his hand snapped with a faint _click_. Ink splattered onto important documents, the pristine mahogany, and his lower lip. Cullen flicked his tongue out absently, then sputtered at the taste.

“I know about you and Sera,” he huffed petulantly.

Well, _that_ was random, not to mention absolutely ridiculous. Lara quirked a brow and stifled a giggle. “We’re just friends.”

“Not- Maker’s breath, I wasn’t- I meant the _pranks_.”

Busted.

“What are you talking about?”

“Lara.”

“Okay, fine. We had a little fun and yes, it was… A _childish_ diversion to say the least, but no one got hurt. Unbunch your smalls, Commander,” she flicked his nose lightly, “I promise not to do it again.”

“That’s not what I meant. Prank people all you want. Who am I to say no?”

“Then what is it?”

He drummed his fingers on the ruined document, clenching and unclenching his jaw. “Why not me?”

“What do you mean? Of course we pranked you.“

“No, I mean why didn’t you come to me? For the- to do- Things… Fun. I can be fun, you know.”

Oh.

“Andraste’s tits-“ he winced “-Sorry. But just to be clear, you’re jealous of Sera.”

“Ye-Yes.”

“Not because she wants me-“ That was no secret- “And not because I’d be lying if I said I didn’t consider it-” Okay, Lara could be curious to a fault “-But because we _pranked_ people together.”

“What do you mean you’d be _lying_ if-“

“Focus, Cullen. One crisis at a time.”

His glare told her she had not heard the last of this, but his words complied. “It sounds ridiculous when you say it like that.”

“Because it is. The pranks were her idea, and she was right. People needed to loosen up.”

She did not say ‘You most of all, you stubborn, uptight stick-in-the-mud,’ but he heard it all the same.

“I am _plenty_ loose. Remember the time I swept everything off this desk and we-“ He blushed and cleared his throat “-It took me hours - _hours_!- to sort everything in its proper place and scrub that ink spill off the desk. I didn’t get to it in time, and now there’s an enormous, permanent stain. Look!” Cullen shuffled some papers aside and jabbed a finger at the alleged _stain_. Lara squinted and rubbed her thumb over the glossy, spotless surface of the desk.

“I don’t see anything.”

“Do not condescend, Lara. It’s unworthy of you. We can both see that hideous mark. The only way it could be more obvious is if it were a giant, green hole in the sky.”

And now he was comparing a nonexistent inkstain on his desk to the Breach. Trevelyan wondered if she shouldn’t have encouraged him to take some Lyrium- just until this mess was sorted out.

“If I was any _looser_ , the entire Inquisition would fall to pieces. The point is, I’m fun. Or I can be fun if it’s for- what you want. I want to be your friend, not just your-“ He drew a sharp breath and almost choked on the next word, “ _Lover_. I want us to be- Do you understand?”

“Yes.” With all that stuttering, flushing, grimacing, and the blue spot on his front tooth (Ink. How attractive.) it was a miracle she managed to pay attention at all.

“And do you have anything to say to… That?”

“You are plenty fun, Cullen.” Maker knows how she could say that with a straight face.

He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “You’re condescending again.” 

“Fine-“ Technically not ‘again,’ but she let it slide “-Yes. You’re not exactly… But you take everything, every _little_ thing, seriously, whether it’s the end of the world, a misplaced requisition form, a...” She rubbed the spot again and squinted vigorously. Still nothing. “Stain. And even, I suspect, this. Us.”

He looked at her hand, resting an inch from his on the edge of the table. Twitched as if to reach for it, then pulled back hesitantly. How could a man so wanton, vocal, and vulgar in bed be this bloody bashful everywhere else?

“No, that’s good,” Lara closed the distance, twining their fingers firmly, “I like that about you- that you care, and always care enough to do the right things, at the right time, in the right way. Meanwhile, I honestly can’t bring myself to believe any of this is real, much less _invest_ myself in it. Coryphius, politics, demons, the fade, whatever. It honestly scares me how little I give a damn.”

Cullen blinked incredulously. Lara felt her pulse quicken, and kept her gaze on their hands. Maybe she should have kept that to herself. It wasn’t right, to think such things or feel this way. Not when the world thought she was their messiah. But it was the truth, and damned if she was going to lie to this man. Lara didn’t know enough about love to make a definitive statement, but she definitely _liked_ him. A lot. Enough to give him honesty, if nothing else.

His golden gaze dripped from her brow, to her eyes, down the curve of her cheek and to the hard set of her mouth. “You don’t mean that.”

“I do. I cared about very little before I met you, and now, sure. I care about Bull, Solas, Sera and the lot. I’d do anything for them. But what I really care about, and the only _real_ thing in this world, is you. And you care about everything else enough for the both of us.”

“I… See.”

“Do you?” Cullen was not the sort of man to accept a statement –compliment- given outright. He had to be guided to the right conclusion, and she needed to know that he knew. “I need you to say it.”

“I’m perfect the way I am.”

And damned if that didn’t sound a little smug.

“Good of you to finally admit it.” She unlaced their fingers to run her hand through his hair. 'Reminds me of that time I pet a goat,' Lara had told him the first time she touched it. Cullen chuckled until it occurred to him to be offended.

Just then, he pulled her down for a kiss, which was warm, soft, and absolutely _delicious_ until she licked his parted lips and tasted poison.

“Gah!” Ink. While she was distracted by the strange texture of his (goat) hair, Cullen smeared some more of the stuff onto his mouth and it _burned_.

“Consider yourself pranked.” The bastard was laughing. He ruined a perfectly good kiss, and he was _laughing_.

"Fuck you."

“Fine, but not on the desk. Maker knows I can’t go through that again. ”

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally going to smut, or angst, or something about Mage-Templar relationship issues and then it totally got away from me. Also, headcannon: Cullen's hair has approximately the same texture as goat fur. It just makes sense.


End file.
